A first-day-of-the-Ox festival in Yamada, with straw snakes and arrow shooting
Yamada Kyakumatsuri Furyu
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The first day of the Ox in February / Once a year
- Location
- Yamada Shrine
- Area
- Shimane Prefecture・Okinoshima Town(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 20 min–1 h 40 min · flight time only)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/11/15
Yamada Kyakumatsuri Furyu is a festival in Yamada, Okinoshima Town, known for a in front of a sacred tree wrapped with a straw snake and for shooting arrows at a target painted with pictures of a crow and a mouse.
About Yamada Kyakumatsuri Furyu
Yamada Kyakumatsuri Furyu is a festival dedicated to Gozu Tenno (the guest deity) in the Goka district of Okinoshima Town.
It was once held twice, as a spring festival praying for a good harvest and an autumn festival giving thanks for the harvest, but is now held once a year on the first day of the Ox in February.
Local traditions, including the festival at Yamada Shrine and the arrow-shooting shinji, are carried on.
Festival highlights
Distinctive features include a shinji held in front of a sacred tree wrapped with a straw snake and a mato-ya shinji.
The target is painted with pictures of a crow and a mouse, and arrows are shot at it.
The festival is dedicated to Gozu Tenno, and the combination of a shrine honden festival and an arrow-shooting shinji gives it a character all its own.
A first-day-of-the-Ox festival in Yamada, with straw snakes and arrow shooting
What to expect
The events are described as unfolding from a Kyakumatsuri (lunch) at the host’s home to a honden festival at Yamada Shrine, followed by an arrow-shooting shinji in the .
In mato-ya, arrows are shot at a target painted with pictures of a crow and a mouse.
Published materials state that these festival events take place on the first day of the Ox in February.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Yamada Shrine (Yamada, Okinoshima Town)
Address Yamada, Okinoshima Town
Dates and season
Held every year on the first Day of the Horse in February.
It was once held twice a year—once in spring to pray for a good harvest and once in autumn to give thanks for the harvest—but is now held once a year.
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Shimane Prefecture / Okinoshima Town (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
隠岐郷土館
島根県隠岐の島町にある博物館
Origins and History of Yamada Kyakumatsuri Furyu
Yamada Kyakumatsuri Furyu was once held twice a year: a spring festival praying for a good harvest and an autumn festival giving thanks for the harvest.
It is now held once a year as a spring festival on the first day of the Ox in February, with a Kyakumatsuri, a honden festival, and a mato-ya shinji.
Yamada Kyakumatsuri Furyu was designated an intangible folk cultural property by the town on January 20, 1975.
Official information
Contact: Social Education Division, Okinoshima Town Board of Education Phone: 08512-2-2126
Yamada Kyakumatsuri Furyu at a Glance
Yamada Kyakumatsuri Furyu is an intangible folk cultural property designated by the town, dedicated to Gozu Tenno in Yamada, Okinoshima Town.
The former spring festival praying for a good harvest and autumn festival giving thanks for the harvest are now carried on as an annual festival on the first day of the Ox in February.
Highlights include a shinji in front of a sacred tree wrapped with a straw snake, the honden festival at Yamada Shrine, and mato-ya at a target painted with pictures of a crow and a mouse.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/15
